


In My Flat

by ImRobin



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 08:05:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14351367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImRobin/pseuds/ImRobin
Summary: Fili comes home after a work trip, and Vadi's there waiting.------For Ansta, a cool bean that is awfully lovely to me and makes my heart go all fuzzy and warm with amazing comments. <3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ansta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ansta/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Greener Grass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4207146) by [ImRobin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImRobin/pseuds/ImRobin). 



The telly was humming when Fili unlocked the front door to escape the rain.

His keys jangled through the smattering of fat raindrops hitting the pavement, and the usually obscene creak of the doorknob was silenced by the rumbling of the passing storm. Just the turn of his wrist made his arm ache; with his backpack sliding down his left shoulder and daring to slip down and catch his weak elbow, Fili hurried to get inside.

The scent of half-dry paint peaked his exhausted senses the moment Fili stepped into the worn flat. He had only moved in a handful of weeks ago, and he hadn’t been there enough to get used to the smell. Uncle, presumably at his girlfriend’s request, had bothered lugging over a small box of tasteful scented candles as a housewarming gift all the way from Cambridge. Thoughtful and aesthetic, just Bella’s taste.

As he shucked off his boots, an inquisitive meow and the pitchy tinkling of a bell sounded from down the main hall. In the darkness, Fili spotted a pair of reflective eyes approach giddily from the kitchen, and he reached out blindly as he slumped back against the door. “Hullo, Percy,” he grunted, feeling the housecat’s purr beneath his palm. If he was less exhausted, Fili might have been surprised- Persimmon _hated_ him, but he supposed he had been lonely, with just Vadi around.

Fili could hear the muffled sound of the telly in the other room, and as he approached on socked feet, the cat eagerly padding behind him, he contemplated the homey sounds of the flat. Even the rain didn’t seem so harsh, once he was inside. Of course, most everything groaned or creaked in the old place, but he was growing less and less mindful of the squeaky floors and arthritic cabinets. It was warm, at least.

The near-artificial laughter echoing from the telly in the living room seemed comforting in a sense, too. It reminded him of a blearily-remembered childhood, sitting in Uncle’s lap and fighting for the remote he would hardly ever give them, especially not when it was ‘his’ show time. Woven in the laughter was gentle, deep breathing- that was the most comforting of all.

Vadi was asleep on the couch, fretfully curled up against its back to keep her eyes shielded from the harsh light of the screen. She was swimming in oversized clothing, all hand-me-downs from cousins or thrift shops; the only thing that fit her well was her black bra, which his mum had insisted she get for her. _So comfortable, I could sleep in it_ , Vadi had gleefully insisted when she had returned from the shops, peeking down her shirt to glance at it. It was lacy, but minimal, and Fili couldn’t help but laugh with approval, too.

On the floor beside her was a plate of take-away Chinese, or the remnants of it. It was licked clean for the most part, but the fork was clearly unused, dangling on the rim of the plate. She hadn’t been eating, again, and Persimmon had taken his opportunity once she had fallen asleep (no wonder the damn thing was so pleased to see him). When he came back from trips, her weight had always dropped off a pound or two, and Persimmon always gained just as much. Even when he was home, she snuck scraps to the cat and ate little. They had gone to see the doctor about it, and he had recommended therapy, but Vadi was too proud for such things. She always was.

Leaning over her and resting a weary elbow on the couch cushion, Fili gently pressed a kiss to her temple, before nuzzling his nose into her nest of braided hair.

She smelled like shampoo, his favourite peach and something-or-other kind, all floral and dainty. He stole the stuff, sometimes, and she could always tell. _You smell like me_ , she’d scold, but she never really minded and always bought twice as much when she went shopping next.

Beneath him, Vadi shifted and moaned at the extra weight dangling over her. She turned onto her back and sighed deeply; for a moment, Fili thought she would surely fall back asleep, but her eyes fluttered open.

“Hi,” Fili said, stroking her cheek with the knuckles of his hand.

For a moment, her eyes stared blankly up at his, but after a few more hearty blinks, her leg eagerly crept up to wrap around his waist and pull him close.

“…I fell asleep,” Vadi stated to no one in particular, sleepily running her hand through his hair, which was still moist from the rain.

“Mm-hmm, and Percy got second dinner,” Fili said, kissing the hollow of her throat (lord, she tasted so _good_ ) and sitting back to allow her some room.

Vadi grumpily sat up on her elbows and squinted down at the chubby cat, who was currently lapping up the remainder of what must have been peanut butter sauce. “You’re just horrible, Percy,” she huffed, though she ignored him in favor of climbing into Fili’s lap.

Her hands and head fell on his chest, but she quickly withdrew them with a furrow of her brows.

“You’re soaked. Did you get caught in the storm? They said there would be a storm,” she said, wriggling from his lap and waving him up with a flap of her hands.

“Yeah, taxi dropped me off down the street, and I walked. I’m alright. Just need _sleep_ ,” he insisted, stumbling to his feet and following her to the bedroom.

“You need a warm bath first,” she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him past the lopsided bed despite his rabid groaning.

The bathroom was small, barely able to fit a sink, toilet and bath, but Vadi loved it to bits nonetheless, something he could never quite understand. The floor tiles were cracked and the towel rack was just nearly falling off the wall, but Vadi sometimes spent hours in there, when she wanted a spa day.

“Babe, tomorrow is in a few hours. I can do it then,” Fili whined, stepping over Persimmon’s litter tray and plopping himself down on the toilet.

“You’ll catch your death before then,” she said, but her voice was distant and liquid, like the far-away crash of a wave.

He was sure the room was swimming, at this point, both in sound and in his vision. It must have been. How long had he been awake? How long had the flight been? Ten hours from God-Knows-Where and a two-hour delay in France, and Uncle tapping away on his laptop the _entire time_ did not help his sleep. He could vaguely remember ordering a watery cup of coffee with his high-school level French, but he must have drunk more than that. Otherwise, he’d be dead.

A gentle hand shaking his shoulder roused him from a sleep he hadn’t realized he had slipped into. He wanted to cry- he didn’t know it was even possible to feel eye strain on the _inside_ of his eyelids, but it was there. Why couldn’t he just _die_ already?

“…mm’, like the toilet. Let m’sleep on the toilet,” Fili groaned, and he heard Vadi laugh.

“The water will get cold,” she said, and he opened his eyes, if only to please her. Vadi did not like waste, and he had learned that the hard way. The last thing he wanted was to watch another short-film about a post-apocalyptic, waterless world with shit subtitles at 3:00 a.m.

Fili heaved himself to his feet, but did not move to start undressing. Instead, he slid his hand beneath Vadi’s shirt and left it there, leaching on her warmth.

“Missed you,” he said, swaying gently on his heels and watching the water slowly fill the tub.

“I’m sure you did. Where else in the world can you get service like this? A warm bath, a kiss and cuddle, all for the low, low price of your Sunday-morning French-press coffee.”

“Do not talk to me about French coffee,” he sighed, head dropping onto her shoulder, though his lips turned in to kiss the slope of her neck.

Vadi’s body relaxed instantly, and she shuffled backwards to press back against him, sleepy and appreciative. As he fondly retraced the tight muscles of her throat with his mouth, his hand swept up to gently squeeze one of her breasts. He heard her breath catch in her throat and felt her hips arch back into his.

“Christ, I _really_ missed you,” he huffed, his free hand dropping to grasp hers. To his delight, she quickly turned her palm over to lace their fingers together past a shattered whimper.

“I missed you, too, baby, missed you _so much_ ,” she whispered, voice raw with pleasure but surprisingly distant with emotion.

Vadi tossed her head with total abandon, and when she moved, Fili caught sight of the time on the clock hanging on the wall. _3:08 a.m_.

He smiled, and squeezed her hand in his. Jetlagged and caffeine-deprived, there was no place he’d rather be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little extra chapter with Vadi and Fili cause I like the thought of them living in a flat together, okay? And I like Persimmon. He's a good boy.
> 
> Also, warning: this chapter discusses eating disorders. Please mind yourselves if this bothers you, I know it can be very hard for some people to read/discuss. Stay healthy friends. <3

Vadi was sitting up in bed by the time Fili had groggily come to his senses in the late morning.

He felt her meager weight splay awkward across the mattress as she wriggled out from under the covers and crawled over him, her body all bones and sharp angles when her knobbly knees and elbows accidentally pressed into him. He was too tired to fuss; he rolled over to the warm spot her body had left behind and listened to the too-loud quiet noises she was making.

The mattress squeaked as found a seat at the edge of the bed, furthest from the wall and by the nightstand. There was some shuffling about as she fetched something on the nightstand, and the crackling of pills in a plastic bottle roused Fili enough to open his eyes.

Vadi was still naked from their bath last evening, but there were no bubbles and drunken kisses to hide her from his sight now. As she groggily fiddled with the childproof cap of what looked to be her iron supplements (he couldn’t see that damned tiny label without his glasses), Fili watched her spine curve and bob under the skin of her back. Her ribs were visible, when she hunched as she was doing, and her skin seemed a hue of greyish-blue that reminded him of hospital nightgowns.

“…let me see, baby,” Fili said, voice deep from sleep as he sloppily sat up on his side, leaning over and watching her struggle to pop the cap.

“I _have_ it,” Vadi snapped, but he knew her mind was elsewhere and he paid her angry tone no attention. After all, it had been harder to get her to focus, after he had gotten rid of their bathroom scale.

He had promised her it was only because they needed as much space as they could get, that the flat was crowded enough as it was, but tossing the scale had made her irritable and distant. Last he had checked, she weighed something along the lines of seven-and-a-half stone, and she had fasted for days because of it.

Her parents had made her the way she was, there was no doubt in Fili’s mind. Moving her from place to place as a kid, signing her up in half-wash beauty pageants to make enough to pay the electric… the thought was enough to get his blood boiling. It wasn’t fair, it just wasn’t—

 _Pop_.

The lid of the bottle clattered to the floor, as did a lone pill, which bounced across the room and rolled under the bathroom door. Vadi didn’t seem to notice; she was sticking her shaky fingers in the bottle and retrieving was she could.

“Told you I could get it,” Vadi said, cramming the pill into her cheek and reaching for Fili’s hand.

“Didn’t want you to hurt your pretty hands, is all,” Fili said, taking a moment to kiss her slim fingers and dispel his thoughts. She was alright. Vadi was strong, and could handle more than he believed.

Vadi, to his relief, giggled and leaned back, her head resting on his hip. “You’re so full of shit,” she sighed, moving her free hand to stroke his thigh through the blankets.

Fili shut his eyes and managed a smile. He wriggled his left hand up and under her armpit and cupped her breast, thumbing the warm skin he found there and feeling it pucker beneath his fingertips. He was scared, but at least he could stay with her and keep her company until they figured something out, something to help her. It was all he could do.

“…as much as I love this, I want breakfast,” Vadi murmured into his hip, nuzzling what little bare skin she found there and making him shiver.

“Okay,” Fili said, maybe a little too eagerly, releasing his hold on her and sitting up completely, which shifted her head to his lap. “Toast for the lovely lady?”

“Toast is good.”

In a flash of surprising early-morning speed, Fili slid out from under Vadi and scooped her up, ignoring her squealing laughter and the light slap of her palms on his back.

“Oi, you know I hate heights! Quit it!” Vadi cried with delight as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“I think I like the view too much to do that,” Fili responded gleefully, nosing his way between her breasts as he blindly stumbled towards the kitchen.

Fili bought the place for the kitchen, though he would never admit it. The last homeowner had been quite the cook, and remodelled everything in the little space. The cabinets and tabletops were new, and he had even gone out of his way to replace the sink. Honestly, the kitchen was his second love. He had named her Lorelei, but he would never let Vadi know that.

Persimmon greeted them with an aggressive growl of a meow, marching across the countertop with a purpose that seemed comically human. His swollen belly caused him to waddle slightly as he approached the pair, but he was still a quick little thing.

“Alright, fat boy, some dry food for you, too,” Fili sighed, setting Vadi down at the edge of the counter to fetch the heavy cat-biscuit bag from one of the lower cabinets.

“How _dare_ you call him that!” Vadi gasped, scooping up the ginger creature and flipping him onto his back in her arms; Persimmon melted instantly, purring up a storm. The sight made Fili scowl.

“He _never_ does that with me,” Fili grumbled, scooping a half-cup’s worth of biscuit into Persimmon’s waiting bowl. “I can barely think of him without him trying to claw at my face. He’s _scarred_ me, Vadi, I am _traumatized_.”

“I’d do the same if you called me fat,” Vadi shrugged, allowing the squirming creature to hop out of her arms and hurry towards his morning meal. “He’s sensitive, Fee. Have some kindness.”

“My face is sensitive, too!” Fili exclaimed indignantly, but Vadi did nothing but roll her pretty eyes.

“Softie. You just don’t like that he gets my leftovers and you don’t.”

“Vadi, you give him my _favourite_ spring rolls. You _know_ how I feel about them and you do it _anyways_. Honestly, how can I even _live_ with you?”

Vadi shrugged and glanced down at her chest. “Good tits and good bath-maker?”

Fili shrugged right back and shook his loose head of hair in exasperation. “Good point. I can never get the bath-bomb to water ratio just right. You’ve got a secret talent, you witch.”

Vadi raised her palms defensively and wiggled her eyebrows. “I know so many things. For example…” She glanced behind her, at the window over the sink; across the street, she could see the neighbor’s front yard, where Tauriel was mowing the wet front lawn.

Tauriel had had a thing with Kili a while back, and honestly, Fili hadn’t a clue as to whether they were together or not anymore. Last he had checked in with him, Kee was seeing a girl called Rosemary, some distant unrelated cousin of Billa’s he had met at a family gathering a few years back, but Fili never knew with him anymore.

“…well, let’s just say I don’t think Rosemary and Kili are as close as you think,” Vadi drawled, smiling to herself thoughtfully. “Saw Kili walk into Tauriel’s building at _least_ three times this past week. But, that’s really none of my business, is it?”

Fili sat back on the floor against the cabinets, dumbfounded. He really _did_ know nothing about his baby brother’s love life. “Well, fuck me,” Fili whistled. “I thought I was the boyish vagabond in the family.”

“That would be Thorin, darling.”

“Quiet, you.”

Vadi laughed, and Fili shivered against the cool tile of the floor, still completely naked and not minding much.

It was good to be home.


End file.
